Hinge assembly



3 Sheets-Sheet 1 May 13, 1941. CASPER HINGE ASSEMBLY Filed April 18, 1958 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 [WE/VIM? f Q May 13, 1941.- L CASPER HINGE ASSEMBLY Filed April is, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 automobile body.

' a hinge assembly the process ofactually bars which project beyond the i said oval balls which serve Patented May 13, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Louis 03:12: 3. Application April 18, 3:114:10. 202,647

'JClaims- My invention relates to a hinge assembly for a door and door frame or pillar in connection therewith. Said hinge assembly being simple inconstruction and inexpensive of The hinge'assembly is applicable for doors on automobiles, aeroplanes and like vehicles.

This invention is also applicable for refrigerator doors, and for other applications where an especially trim appearing and pinch proof hinge assembly is desirable.

An object of this invention is to provide a hinge assembly for automobiles and like vehicles that has no projections or ears on the outside of the A further object of this invention is to provide that eliminates an open space between the door and 'the door frame or pillar when said door is space being common to doors that are hung by ordinary types of hinges.

A further object is to provide a hinge assembly that' enables the rapid and emcient hanging of the door incident to the assembly of an automobile body. Means are also provided for the easy removal of the door from the door frame or pillar support. J

A further object is to provide a hinge assembly for a door eliminating thehazard oi sag of said door or loosening of the same upon the bearings thereof. The hinge assembly furthermore eliminates the hazard of finger pinching in so far as the hinge assembly is concerned. A further object is to provide a hinge assembly enabling the hanging of a door upon a door support without theneed of bolts or like securing means in hanging the door.

The hinge assembly is divided between the door proper and the door frame or pillar. cured to the door are two or more ball bearing edge of said door. The aforesaid bars terminate in an oval ball. Secured to the wall of the side of a car body is a bracket which is preferably welded to the car screws, rivets,

body. Upon this bracket socket bearin s areprovided into which the oval ball of said ball bearing bars are seated. Metal blocks, each having a bowl socke are placed in position over to secure said oval balls in position in said bracket sockets. Said blocks are secured by in open position, said open block mountin snu ly;

showing a door manufacture.

7 support.

' 4 which is the openings I through which the the door.

fitted in space provided and over said metal blocks.

In further ence is had in the accompanying description of the invention referdrawings. in

with a stop member which Fig. 1 is a section of the side of a car body in partly open position.

Fig. 1a is a sectional plan view of the door sup port and the car door. said door swung in open position; said figure showing the close relation ofthe arcuate hinging edge corresponding arcuate edge Fig. lb is similar to Fig. la. showing the car door in closed position. A

Fig. 1c is a perspective sectional view of a car body and a door showing the close relation of the arcuate hinging edge of the door with the arcuate edge of the door pillar.

Fig. 2 is a section of the door and door frame, top view.

Fig. 3 is a section of the door frame and shows position.

' Fig. 4 is 8. tion.

Fig. 5 is a section take on a line 8-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is asection taken on' a line 8-4 of Fig. 4. V

Fig. 7 is-a modification showing a thrust form of bearing.

Fig. 8 is also a modification showing another form of ball bearing. Referring to the figures, the numeral i is a door, 2 isthe door frame of the car. 3 is a bracket which is preferably welded to the body of the car, said car body also carrying an upright post usual construction of automobile bodies.- 4'v is theinner wall of the car bodyadiacent to the upright post 4.

0n the bracket 3 are shown the door edge that faces the door in open side view of the door partly secthree oval shaped ball bearing bars are inserted."

Referring to Fig. 5 which shows the edge of the door frame 2 that faces the hinging edge of Upon the edge of said door frame there are square shaped apertures 8. Below said apertures are slots iii in which bars (8 swing.

which limits the swing of the bars I! and consequently confining the opening ofthe doori within a certain defined Referring to Fig. 4 which shows-in section the door i resting in closed. position upon its hinged supp rt on The ball bearing. door preferably by welding from the edge of the door I.

the car body. v v

bars it are secured to the and project outward The oval ball I!" of the door with the of the door pillar Each of said slots is provided v of said bar l8 rests in the socket bowl of bracket 3. a

the

The oval ball I8 is further secured in position by means of the upper bearing block 6, said block having a-socket bearing which conforms to and is'set in position over the ball I3 of the bar To secure the socket bearing block 6 in position over the ball l8, filler blocks 8 and 8 are snugly fitted into the space provided as shown bar I 3 and into position as shown. The metal block 6 is placed through theaperture and over the bar l3 and thebearing I3 in Fig. 4. A filler block 8 is first inserted through the opening 5 inthe space provided forit directly over the upper bearing block 6. Another block 8 is fitted over the first block 8 in the space provided, said block being also inserted through the opening 5. Finally the block 9 is fitted into the remaining space provided in the opening I, said block 8 being allowed to project slightly beyond the surface level of the door frame -2.

-of the edge of the door I facing said door Said arrangements enables the. door to swing in a close air space relation with frame edge.

respect to said door frame edge. The movement of the. hinge arrangement of the door is uniform, and said hinge arrangement is'of similar appearance when viewed from or from the outside of the car.

The method of hanging the door I is as folei ther the inside lows: The door is lifted up to a height suflicient for the oval balls l8 of the bars l8 (to be on a line with the roundedopenings I. The door is then pushed against the door frame 2 until each of the balls l8 are directly over the socket bowls on the bracket 8. The door is then permitted to drop downward and said balls l3 will rest in the respective socket bowls aforesaid. The metal blocks 6 are then placed through the apertures 5 over the balls 13', the socket bowls of each block being placed in position oversaid balls I3.

the apertures 5 and placed in position over the blocks 8, then finally the cushion blocks 8 which are preferably of rubber are placed in position as shown in Fig. 4.

To removethedoor the three cushion blocks moved, and finally a tool is inserted inthe hole 8 by which means the bearing block 6 is lifted up to theopening or aperture 5 and withdrawn from the frame-of the car body.- The above description applies similarly to the three openings or apertures 5.

The door i is then lifted clear of thesocket bowl bearings and said door is then pulled outward thus'bringing the balls I! out through the apertures 1 and clear of the door frame 2.

The numeral 18 is a reinforcement bracket to which the ball bearing brackets are welded.

Referring to Fig. 8 which is a further modification of the bearing arrangement in lieu of the bar supporting arrangement shown in Fig. 4. The bar l3 terminates in abearing l8 which rests'in thrustbearing l5 said bearing being integral to the bracket 3.

A .thrust bearing I5" is amxed in position through the aperture over the end section l3 of the bar i3. The filler blocks 8 and 8 are placed in position over the bearing IS in a manner similar to that described of the ball l3 arrangement.

It will be seen that this invention is capable of some modification other than that described without departing from the spirit of the invention. The invention furthermore permits of considerable tolerances in fitting the door to the door frame or. other door support in-that the individual bars l3 -may be slightly lengthened or" shortened as the case may be to precisely rest in'the respective bearing bowls of the blocks in bracket 3. Likewise the bearing blocks in the bracket 3 may bejseparately varied in inward or outward direction to afford precise seating of thespheroidal shaped ends l8 of the bars l3.

Now having described my invention what -I claim is--- 1. In a hinge assembly of the class described including a plurality of bars secured to a door,

said bars projecting outward from 'the hinging The filler blocks 8 are then inserted through 9 are takenout. The filler blocks 8 are then resaid pins seated .in

edge of said door, theends of said bars formed to seat into respective bearings, said bearings.

integral to a door frame. or like door support,

demountable bearing means mounted above said bar bearings, blocking means for retaining said demountable bearing means in position with respect to said seating of said bars, said bars movable in respective slots in said door frame, said bar movement in said slots incident to the opening and closing of said door, and an aperture above each of said slots enabling the insertion of said bars within said slots and thereby'enabling the mounting of the respective ends of said bars in the bearings thereof; a'second aperture for each of said bar bearings in said doorframe whereby said blocking means may be inserted into position'above the bearing means aforesaid.

2. In a hinge assembly of the class described. including a plurality of bars secured to a door, 1

edge of said door, said seated barsswinging in a slot afiixed in said door support, and an aperture above said slots enabling the entrance of said bars into said slots and the seating thereof in said bearings incident to thehanging of said door upon the door support aforesaid.

3.-In a hinge assembly of the class described including a plurality of ,bars integral to a. door,-

each of said bars terminating in a bearing pin,

respective thrust bearings,

said bearings integral to a door frame or like door support, each of said bars movable in respective slots in said door support, an aperture above each of said slots corresponding to said bars, said aperture permitting each of said bearing pins to be seated in said respective hearings incident to the hanging of said door upon said door support; and a removable metal mounting over said pins, and removable filler blocks of resilient material over said mountings, said filler blocks also serving the purpose of a cushion for said door upon the closing thereof the hinging edge of said door having an arcuate contour shaping, said shaping corresponding to like arcuate shaping of the section of said door support in the swinging area of said hinging door edge; and stopping means in said hinge assembly limiting the extent of the opening of the door aforesaid.

4. In a hinge assembly including a door pillar, said door pillar having a curvilinear edge, a door having a like curvilinear edge at its hinging side and cooperating with said curvilinear edge on said door pillar, a hinging bar or bars integrally secured to said door and projecting outwardly therefrom upon the mounting of said door upon said door pillar, said hinging bars being projected through corresponding open slots in said curvilinear edge of said door pillar, said bars resting upon corresponding bearing means mounted behind said curvilinear edge of said door pillar, and blocking means'mounted contiguous to each of said bars and bar bearing means for the purpose of securing said bars in secure position upon said bearing means, said blocking means including a metal mounting over said bearing means, filler blocks of resilient material insertable over said mounting, said filler blocks after insertion thereof serving as a holding medium for said metal mountings and also serving as a cushion for said door upon the closing thereof.

5. In a hinge assembly of the class described including a plurality of bars secured to a door, said bars projecting outward from the hinging including a plurality edge of said door, each of said bars terminating into a spheroidal shaped head, said heads seated into respective socket bearings, said bearingsintegral to a door frame or like door support, an upper bearing block above each of said heads, said respective upper bearing blocks held in position by filler blocks of resilient material fitted within a space inside said door frame or like door support, said filler blocks acting as securing means for said bearing blocks and also as a cushion for said door upon the closing thereof, each of said bars movable in respective slots in said door frame incident to the opening and closing of the door aforesaid.

6. The structure as set forth in claim 5, and an opening above each insertion of said bars within said slots, and aper tures in said door frame for the insertion into position respectively of said upper bearing block and filler blocks aforesaid.

7. In a hinge assembly of. the class described of bars secured to a door, said bars projecting outward from said door and. in positions for insertion into respective slots affixed in the arcuate edge of a door frame or like door support, the ends of said bars seated in respective socket bearings integral to said door support and behind said slots, a removable metal block mounting over said respective bar ends and removable filler blocks of resilient material insertable over said metal block mounting; the arcuate section of said door support conforming to the arcuate hinging of said door, enabling said door edge to swing in the arcuate area section of said door support, and an aperture above said slots enabling the seating of said bar ends in said bearings incident to the hanging of said door upon said door support, and a second aperture in said door support for the purpose of entrance for said filler blocks, said filler blocks also serving the purpose of a cushion for said door upon the opening and closing thereof.

' LOUIS CASPER,

of said slots enabling the 

